The Book of Urizen

A Facsimile in Full Color

William Blake

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780486298016
• eBook ISBN: 9780486145341
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Artist Monographs

The richly illuminated works of William Blake — poet, prophet, and artist — have fascinated readers since the late eighteenth century. In majestic verse illustrated with his own hand-colored plates, the poet explored profound and mystical themes, including the relationship between God and man and the concept of life as a journey toward spiritual self-knowledge.
One of Blake's most interesting and powerful creations, The Book of Urizen represents a parody of the book of Genesis, in which the righteous figure of God is replaced by that of Urizen, the "dark power" and obstacle to spiritual life. With "the voice of honest indignation," Blake compels readers to recognize and overcome their inner adversary in order to rise to higher levels of perception.
Incredibly beautiful in its combination of words and pictures, The Book of Urizen boasts some of Blake's most magnificent designs, rich in energy and monumental grandeur. For any lover of Blake, this edition represents an inexpensive opportunity to enjoy one of his finest works, including full-color reproductions of the poet's distinctive hand-colored plates and a printed transcription of the poem.

Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Reserv’d for the days of futurity,
I have sought for a joy without pain,
For a solid without fluctuation.
Why will you die, O Eternals?
Why live in unquenchable burnings?

5. First I fought with the fire, consum’d
Inwards, into a deep world within:
A void immense, wild, dark, & deep,
Where nothing was, Nature’s wide womb.
And self-balane’d, stretch’d o’er the void,
I alone, even I! The winds merciless
Bound, but condensing in torrents
They fall & fall; strong I repell’d
The vast waves, & arose on the waters,
A wide world of solid obstruction.

6. Here alone I, in books form’d of metals,
Have written the secrets of wisdom,
The secrets of dark contemplation
By fightings and conflicts dire
With terrible monsters Sin-bred,
Which the bosoms of all inhabit,
Seven deadly Sins of the soul.

7. Lo! I unfold my darkness and on
This rock place with strong hand the Book
Of eternal brass, written in my solitude:

8. Laws of peace, of love, of unity,
Of pity, compassion, forgiveness.
Let each chuse one habitation,
His ancient infinite mansion.
One command, one joy, one desire,
One curse, one weight, one measure,
One King, one God, one Law.”

Chap: III

1. The voice ended; they saw his pale visage
Emerge from the darkness, his hand
On the rock of eternity unclasping
The Book of brass. Rage siez’d the strong,

2. Rage, fury, intense indignation,
In cataracts of fire, blood, & gall,
In whirlwinds of sulphureous smoke,
And enormous forms of energy,
All the seven deadly sins of the soul

(Plate 5)

In living creations appear’d,
In the flames of eternal fury.

3. Sund‘ring, dark’ning, thund’ring,
Rent away with a terrible crash,
Eternity roll’d wide apart,
Wide asunder rolling,
Mountainous, all around
Departing, departing, departing,
Leaving ruinous fragments of life,
Hanging frowning cliffs, & all between
An ocean of voidness unfathomable.

4. The roaring fires ran o‘er the heav’ns
In whirlwinds & cataracts of blood,
And o‘er the dark desarts of Urizen
Fires pour thro’ the void on all sides
On Urizen’s self-begotten armies.

5. But no light from the fires; all was darkness
In the flames of Eternal fury.

6. In fierce anguish & quenchless flames,
To the desarts and rocks he ran raging
To hide, but he could not; combining
He dug mountains & hills in vast strength.
He piled them in...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• PUBLISHER’S NOTE
• Table of Contents